Watering Houseplants While Away

I've heard that many homeowners insurance policies require a visit every so often, when the owners are away. If that person can't be trusted to water your plants - check www leevalley dot com Plant Nanny Plant Minder Water Bulb I can't vouch for these. Good luck. John T.

This gets high ratings from Amazon customers:

You could:

- put them in the bath with some water

- pierce the lid of a softdrink bottle, fill it with water and push it into the potting mix

- use water-well pots

- arrange cloth wicks from a bucket of water that is higher than the pots, one wick leads into each pot.

some combination

Gels Though not a plant watering system per se, hydrogels can become part of your container garden watering routine. These gels absorb moisture--up to 100 times their weight, notes Purdue University Extension--then slowly release it into the soil. Add hydrogels into your potting soil before planting a container garden, then use a bottle-style irrigation system to keep your plants well watered.

I use one of these: